Simple Crush Plate: Purchase Lucite at the hardware store and pick up a 1 1/4-inch hole cutter.  Use the hold cutter to cut out some Lucite 1 1/4-inch disks. Then use a drill press to cut out a 1/4-inch hole in the center of the disk.  This large Lucite disk can be used with the [...]

Readers of our magazines are always coming up with useful tricks of the trades to get the most out of the hobby. Maximizing safety and convenience is often very easy. Check these out. Throttle Safety When you fire up your radio and then turn on your model’s receiver, you always want to have the throttle [...]

For almost forever, RC model clubs have cooked up all sorts of ideas to keep their members interested in attending flying-field events. These outings bring the members and their families together and promote the growth of the hobby—and the club—while offering some weekend summertime fun! Thus, the fun-fly was born. (Above) Typical Sportsman and Intermediate [...]

We just finished flight-testing the new Hangar 9 Katana 50, and it’s a rush! In this video, reviewer Aaron Strietzel tells us about this great looking plane and its breath-taking performance.  The looks of the Katana draw you in, and its flight characteristics will get your heart pumping! This 59-inch-span aerobat requires a .46 to .55 2-stroke or equivalent [...]

You should practice straight and level as much as you do any other maneuver. It is also where new precision aerobatics pilots  should begin. It may seem like the most boring thing to do, but in reality, straight and level flight is one of the most difficult maneuvers to master. Sure, rolling circles, tail slides [...]

In this mesmerizing video, experience a ride to space and back as cameras on the Space Shuttle’s booster engines capture the experience–from blastoff to splashdown. This fantastic footage is part of the upcoming DVD, “Special Edition Ascent: Commemorating Space Shuttle.” All of the sounds are real, and seeing the Earth from the point of view [...]

For years, depending on the model setup, modelers often used offset servo output arms and bellcranks to achieve differential aileron movement. Today, however, using separate aileron servos and the aileron differential program menu in your computer radio has greatly simplified the task. But before we take a closer look, let’s first check out the mechanics [...]

A common landing mistake is pointing the fuselage toward the runway during the approach in a crosswind. Note that while an airplane will crab into a cross-wind, it will continue to fly in a straight line as long as the wings are level. Therefore, rather than pointing the fuselage where you want the plane to [...]

Freestyle aerobatics can be some of the most exciting type of flying, and nothing does it better than a dedicated machine like the brand new Freestyle Extra 260 by Aeroworks. Part of the Aeroworks QB-L (Quick Build Light) series, it is designed to go together quickly and be very light weight. The airy balsa and [...]

Full disclosure: after we put the newsletter together, the man who created this video announced that it was a hoax. It’s still a great video, though, and we hope this won’t stop other aspiring “bird men” from taking to the sky with flapping wings! Original post: You’ve probably heard of Jet Man, the guy who [...]

Cheap And Easy Wheel Chocks: A quick way to keep your plane in one spot is to use these wheel chocks made from 1/2-inch PVC pipe. You can vary the length of the side pieces to accommodate different sizes of wheels.  Before gluing the final pieces, fill the assembly parts with sand.  You can make [...]

Hacker Model in concert with Hacker Motors has introduced the Extra 330SC 3D aerobatic EPP foam profile aircraft.  Advertised as “almost unbreakable”, the 330 Extra is a fairly large 3D foamy with a wing span of 39.37” (1000mm) and a fuselage length of 39.76” (1010mm).  The plane is designed for a minimum of 4 channels [...]

HOW DOES AN IDLE BAR HELP WITH THE IDLE? The idle bar is there to keep the glow plug from getting extinguished when the engine is throttled up. When the engine is idling, it has a tendency to pool up some fuel in the crankcase so when the engine is throttled up, that puddle is [...]

A series of flight checks are required to program your radio for 3D flying. These flights should not be viewed as practice flights, but a time to evaluate your plane’s tendencies and fine-tune your radio setup. It’s therefore important to conduct your initial flight checks in calm conditions to make it easier to detect your [...]